The Limitations of Virtual Church

Since the pandemic began in March, I have heard many comments like these: 

“I love church at home and I’m not sure I want to come back to in-person church even when the pandemic is over.” 

“Being able to have church at home with our family means we end up having breakfast and a good discussion and the whole morning seems better.” 

“Church without the commute, in my pajamas, and on demand – yes please!” 

Things have changed since March of 2020. Virtual church went from being something a few people did when they were traveling or could not get out to something many have now not just experienced but enjoyed. I had a Sunday where I was not teaching and I had the same choice, virtual or go in person. I chose virtual. It was really nice to stay at home and participate without having to personally greet anyone, without having to change out of my sweats, and to have the time limited to a mere hour rather than 2 with getting dressed and driving all the way over to the campus. 

So, is this a positive or a negative to one’s spiritual life and to the life of the church? I think there are many positives. If this helps people stay connected and engaged when they are not able to come, or even when they may prefer not to come this is a positive. It is great in a time of legitimate safety concerns to have an online platform that provides a great connection point. 

However, I have come to believe that there are several important limitations to virtual church that need to be considered before embracing it as a primary approach to church. 

1. Virtual Church Offers Limited Connectivity

Hebrews 10:24-25 says not to forsake gathering together. I know that it is possible to say I gather with a small group and that I do not really talk to a lot of people anyway on a weekend – especially with social distancing guidelines. But there is something to the broader participation in community that is healthy and having relationships with hundreds of other Christ followers, not just 10-12 others, that is part of the function and beauty of church community. If someone makes virtual church their primary church, there will be a loss of broader community that will ultimately make church less than what it is designed to be in their lives. 

It is also easier to take disagreements to a higher level when we are not experiencing things in the context of relationship. Community means sometimes living in a relationship with people we don’t always agree with.

2. Virtual Church Offers No Opportunity for Public Affirmations and Worship 

Part of the gathering together command of Hebrews 10:25 is not just so that you connect with others, but to give public testimony to the worship of the one true God. By gathering with other Christians in public worship you are saying publicly every time, “I worship the God of Heaven and I affirm the basic teaching of this church.” It is a power statement that is impossible to make when you virtually worship.

There is also something in you that happens when you walk into a building dedicated to worship with the intent to worship God and to take in the proclamation of His word that is faith affirming.

3. Virtual Church Promotes a Consumer Mindset 

With so many things happenings on screens, we tend to approach our screens as consumers. As soon as something is deemed irrelevant, boring, or we disagree with something, we can quickly change the channel. Nothing could be more consumeristic than applying this to our church participation. There will be times when the greatest spiritual benefit we will gain comes after we have not fast forwarded through something or changed the channel to find something more interesting. 

We also can become critics by becoming consumers. It is easier when watching online to assess the music quality, the clothes of the worship leaders, the grammar of the teaching, and the quality of the video graphics rather than engaging personally in worship and instruction. While this is somewhat natural and happens in person as well, the danger is even greater online. 

4. Virtual Church Participation is More Easily Distracted Participation 

When watching church online at home, it is easy to multitask and get distracted. We can make breakfast while doing church. We can do the laundry and do church. We can take the dog for a walk while doing church. While this is how we approach screens in general, it tends to distract us from the moment and can thwart the spiritual impact of the very discipline that participating in worship engenders. 

Virtual church has many positives and is worth utilizing as one of the ways to stay connected to a church community when traveling, unable to attend, and even as an occasional “snow day” experience of staying home rather than going out, but virtual church is limited and may not be the healthiest spiritual practice as a primary experience. The depth of your spiritual life may be undermined without you even realizing it in making this simple choice that seems innocuous, but in reality, is quite significant.